Texans may want to monitor their deliveries closely this holiday season, as the number of grinches looking to steal packages appears to be on the rise.
SafeWise, a comprehensive home safety and security resource, released a new report detailing 2023 trends for package theft nationwide.
Dr. Ben Stickle, a member of SafeWise’s advisory group, said that as the Christmas season begins, incidents of theft will occur more frequently and that the likelihood of theft will increase the longer packages remain on porches, describing it as a “crime of opportunity.”
Stickle added that packages are becoming more desirable to steal as the value of the contents has likely increased along with the volume of those being sent.
“Add to that, people are busier this time of year and have their routine shifted as they may work later and spend more time away from home shopping or visiting with family and friends, so packages are left sitting exposed on the porch for longer,” said Stickle, according to SafeWise.
“All of this adds up to easy targets for thieves,” he summarized. “Porch piracy is a low-entry crime. There are no special skills needed to walk up a driveway and steal a package.”
Not only does porch theft trend up around the holidays, but it’s seemingly getting worse year over year. SafeWise recorded that an estimated 113 million packages were swiped from porches in 2022, and this year, that number could rise 5%, topping over 119 million packages.
Additionally, the report claims that over 65% of Americans are more concerned about theft this year than last year and that half of all survey respondents are concerned about theft on a daily basis. Texas was among the states worrying about theft the most.
In SafeWise’s ranking of the top 10 worst metropolitan cities in the U.S. for porch theft, Austin’s Round Rock-Georgetown metroplex came in at No.7.
However, not all hope is lost. SafeWise’s report offered suggestions for ways people can defend themselves against theft this holiday season.
The organization recommended opting into package tracking alerts, selecting delivery methods that require a signature, and asking neighbors to watch for unusual behavior. Those who believe they have fallen victim to porch piracy are advised to contact their local police, along with the sender and carrier of the package.
Video footage of a thief driving a BMW sedan snatching a package from the hands of a FedEx delivery driver earlier this year in Chesterfield, Virginia, is one example of such offense, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the seriousness of mail theft by signing House Bill 37 in 2019, which became law effective September 1 of that same year, making mail theft and criminal offense up to a third-degree felony depending upon the number of appropriated pieces of mail.
In Dallas, stolen property offenses this year have reached 775 recorded violations as of November 23, according to the police department’s crime analytics dashboard.
Complicating matters is that the Dallas Police Department is trying to manage crime under the weight of personnel shortages, with fewer than 3,200 officers despite a City analysis advising that at least 4,000 officers would be necessary to maintain public safety.
